The Rhaenyrian-Vilhari War
The Rhaenyrian-Vilhari war was fought between two great Endionan powers: the Early Vilhari Empire and the Rhaenyrian City-States in which the largest army of the First Age, the Vilhari Undying legion, and the dragonriders of Rhaenyr faced each other in the fields of battle. The Rhaenyrias wom almost all the battles. Before the War The Vilhari Empire was almost a thousand years old before the war started. It was one of the oldest and greatest civilizations known to the world, tracing it's origins in the Age of Legends. They were one of the only human civilizations to have a form of writing which allowed them to record far in the Age of Legends. Vilhar was already a great power in the region. They conquered Manerys, the Evric Lakes, and Eghdelos and spreading it's influence among the conquered civilizations. They built cities with great stepped pyramids to please the Vilhari gods. The Vilhari enslaved their conquered, something the Rhaenyrians did not approve of. Across the Gulf of Vilhar, there lived the remnants of an ancient and advance civilization called the Rhaenyrians. Rhaenyr was a collection of minor city-states with extensive arcane knowledge. When finding an ancient Telyrian underground stonghold, the Rhaenyrian's advanced dramatically, as they found vast knowledge; this event is called "The Awakening of the Rhaenyr". The Rhaenyrians start to form a city atop the ancient stronghold and name is "Aulion" (City of Clouds). After the Oenodheon War, the Valminyrian Pact is dissolved and the belligerents of the war proposed peace to the victorious city-states. The city-states accept the peace alliance and the Aulean Archons were established as the heads of the League of Oenodheus. The League would not last however, Thervimys would be accused of corruption then assassinated by the Archon of Hormilion, Lyrinicar, which throws the league into chaos and eventually break up. Their weakening allowed the Vilhari Empire to start invading Rhaenyr. During the War The Vilhari Empire quickly took control of Nenyra and Thorios and enslaved it's citizens. Three Vilhari legions would march to Valmion where Vilinys, son of Thervimys, would burn nearly five thousand Vilhari legionnaires with his dragon in single combat in the Battle of Valmion. Vilinys and his armies would march north and liberate Nenyra and Thorios from Vilhari enslavement. The Rhaenyrian eventually push the Vilhari back to Vilhar and would start a series of wars called The Rhaenyrian-Vilhari wars. Rhaenyr crowns Vilinys as "Tyros Tūranos Tūranōn" (The High King of Kings) by the Archons. The Vilhari were reported to have nearly 2.4 million men fighting in the Vilhari Legions; the Vizadin Slave Army fought in their ranks as well. Because of this, Rhaenyr convinced the Vilhari conquered (Maneryos and the Lucethedian Warrior-Kings) to fight with the Rhaenyrians against the Vilhari in order to met the Vilhari Legions in size. The Rhaenyrians only had eight-hundred thousand men fighting for them. However, the Rhaenyrians had nearly five-hundred dragonriders that would devastate any army regardless of size. Vilhar would attempt to invade Rhaenyr again nineteen times with twenty five legions and each attempt would prove fruitless to the Vilhari. With their experience in magic and military strategies, along with the help from dragons, Vilinys and the Rhaenyrians would be victorious in each battle. Ending the War In a final attempt to end the Rhaenyrian-Vilhari War, Vilinys and three-hundred dragonriders burned the cities of Toletim, and Seduk. Since the Rhaenyrians did not believe in slavery, instead, they massacred every Vilhari in the cities. Vilinys's army reached Daedrioc and the Great Pyramids of Daedrioc and the citizens were burnt inside the city, obliterating the Vilhari Empire. The rest of the Vilhari cities surrendered to the Rhaenyrians. Across the Vilhari Empire, the chains of slaves were broken by the Rhaenyrians, and dragons roasted slave masters alive. The Vizadin Slave Soldiers were freed by the Rhaenyrians and as a result, fought for the Rhaenyrians. Rhaenyrians used the wealth of the Vilhari Empire to maintain the Rhaenyrian Legion and pay off the Maneryon Calvary and Lucethedian kings. Instead of slave labor, they payed Vilhari freedmen taxpayers, regardless of social status, to build do hard labor for them. Rhaenyrian influence quickly spreads throughout the region.